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Today you, tomorrow me

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Re: Today you, tomorrow me

#21

Post by charliepark »

maguay wrote: post #6
bobf wrote: post #3

The original Spanish expression is "Hoy por ti, mañana por mi", and I find the Golden Rule to be the closest direct application of the concept in a single expression. Interestingly, the three suggested translations of the expression I found were: "You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours", "What goes around, comes around", and "Tit for tat" ( http://www.proz.com/kudoz/spanish_to_english/idioms_maxims_s... ). Howeve…

"You today ... me tomorrow" is my new favorite "Golden Rule" translation :)

Why would you need a translation?

Re: Today you, tomorrow me

#22

Post by dfox »

And as for slighly offtopic comment: have you noticed how hard it is to get various road side assistance companies to actually do something useful?

Few weeks ago slightly aged tire on my not so slightly aged car not only went flat but essentially disappeared on highway (in ~150 kph). As my car was recently broken into I did't have a spare (you are not required to carry spare in Czech Republic, but you are legally required to have some way of fixing broken tires, be it spare, quick-fix-kit or road side assistance subscription). So I correctly assumed that quick-fix kit is of no use when you don't have an actual tire to fix and tried to call road side assistance company which I subscribe to that even offers help with tire replacement. They told me that they cannot do anything else than tow my car somewhere (for like an 2 EUR per km, times two, which was out of question assuming I was like 400km from home) and fix the tire in 2 business days, so I canceled my subscription and went to get spare tire by some other means. In the end my girlfriend called her parents who got me spare tire by some networking and fast talking means in like half an hour, you simply got to like rural areas and people who are always ready to help.

Re: Today you, tomorrow me

#24

Post by kahawe »

dazzawazza wrote: post #2

If you live in the UK you will surely know Dave Gorman [1]. He did a TV show called American Unchained [2] where he attempted to get across America without using chain stores. In that series I saw an America that I recognise from the Americans I know and have worked with (I've never visited America). Americans are some of the most friendly, optimistic and outgoing people in the known universe. In the show he experien…

I am from Europe as well and I can wholeheartedly agree with this.

I know it has become so popular to be laughing about the States over here but let me tell you something... each and every time I had to deal with people from the States over here, they were nothing but friendly and down to earth, good hearted people who enjoy and appreciate company and small talk - even more so than lots of Germans who often give you the feeling they are just waiting for you to rip them off or wave some sales contract into their face next - just because you said "hi" and "how you doing?".

Re: Today you, tomorrow me

#25

Post by eru »

dfox wrote: post #22

And as for slighly offtopic comment: have you noticed how hard it is to get various road side assistance companies to actually do something useful? Few weeks ago slightly aged tire on my not so slightly aged car not only went flat but essentially disappeared on highway (in ~150 kph). As my car was recently broken into I did't have a spare (you are not required to carry spare in Czech Republic, but you are legally req…

I remember when we were in Mongolia, an axis of our minibus broke. At three in the morning. Our local guides drove around in the second car, and managed to acquire one in an hour or so; the third guy they asked had an axis to spare. The first two guys had some pointers for finding the third guy in the first place.

And Mongolia has almost no population density.

Re: Today you, tomorrow me

#28

Post by ZoFreX »

dfox wrote: post #22

And as for slighly offtopic comment: have you noticed how hard it is to get various road side assistance companies to actually do something useful? Few weeks ago slightly aged tire on my not so slightly aged car not only went flat but essentially disappeared on highway (in ~150 kph). As my car was recently broken into I did't have a spare (you are not required to carry spare in Czech Republic, but you are legally req…

I've seen a few good stories. A friend's old (ok, antique) Jaguar broke down in the middle of a Jag rally up the country. He called the AA, and the guy they sent out was a collector and fellow specialist, who re-wired the loom then and there, at the side of the road. It wasn't a great fix obviously (he couldn't get into top gear, or something like that), but it meant he could keep going with the rally and get it done properly later. Absolutely amazing.

Best experience I've had was in Turkey. Broke down on a Sunday evening, tow truck saw us at the side of the road and gave us a lift to a garage. An official Toyota garage. Shit. The manager of the garage comes out, calls the chief engineer, so now we have four people's time on a Sunday evening to pay for. Turns out we need a new, Toyota-specific part, or we can't drive away, and they have it. At this point they can just name a price, we do not have a choice. It was 100 USD, all-in, parts, labour, and the tow. That price that would be reasonable on a weekday! They must have known that they could charge however much they liked, and they didn't. Much appreciated.

Re: Today you, tomorrow me

#29

Post by ZoFreX »

eru wrote: post #25
dfox wrote: post #22

And as for slighly offtopic comment: have you noticed how hard it is to get various road side assistance companies to actually do something useful? Few weeks ago slightly aged tire on my not so slightly aged car not only went flat but essentially disappeared on highway (in ~150 kph). As my car was recently broken into I did't have a spare (you are not required to carry spare in Czech Republic, but you are legally req…

I remember when we were in Mongolia, an axis of our minibus broke. At three in the morning. Our local guides drove around in the second car, and managed to acquire one in an hour or so; the third guy they asked had an axis to spare. The first two guys had some pointers for finding the third guy in the first place. And Mongolia has almost no population density.

That's just how it works out there, their ability to fix anything astounded me. We had a new exhaust bracket made by our chef, using an old tire, his kitchen knife, and the poker out of the fire!
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